China Pushes to End Public Shaming

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The Chinese government has called for an end to the public shaming of criminal suspects, a time-honored cudgel of Chinese law enforcement, that included “shame parades,” in which those suspected of being prostitutes are shackled and forced to walk in public. It is thought that they finally stopped this humiliating practice in response to the public outcry.

According to the state-run media, the Ministry of Public Security has called on local departments to enforce laws in a “rational, calm and civilized manner.” This exercise went as far as having some cities publish the names and addresses of convicted sex workers and those of their clients. The most widely circulated images, taken this month in the southern city of Dongguan, included young women roped together and paraded barefoot through crowded city streets.

The police later said they were not punishing the women, but only seeking their help in the pursuit of an investigation. Thankfully this seems to have change, inviting a more humane treatment of their citizens and creating a just society. Click here to read the full article from The New York Times.